Stagehand vs Steel

Side-by-side comparison of two AI agent tools

Short answer

  • Stagehand is growing faster: +300 GitHub stars in the last 30 days vs +156 for Steel.
  • Pick Stagehand for: the SDK to extract data and interact with any site on the web. Pick Steel for: open Source Browser API for AI Agents & Apps.

From GitHub data refreshed daily.

S
Stagehandopen-source

The SDK to extract data and interact with any site on the web. Get started with Claude Code, Codex, Eve, Mastra, and more.

Steelopen-source

πŸ”₯ Open Source Browser API for AI Agents & Apps. Steel Browser is a batteries-included browser sandbox that lets you automate the web without worrying about infrastructure.

Metrics

StagehandSteel
Stars25.5k7.7k
Star velocity /mo300155.68421052631578
Commits (90d)18910
Releases (6m)102
Downloads (30d, npm + PyPI)1.1Mβ€”
Overall score0.73683223319630580.5500925879249736

Pros

    • +Multi-client support allows integration with Puppeteer, Playwright, or Selenium for maximum flexibility
    • +Comprehensive session management automatically handles browser state, cookies, and storage persistence
    • +Built-in anti-detection capabilities with stealth plugins and fingerprint management help avoid bot blocking

    Cons

      • -Public beta status indicates the platform is still evolving and may have stability issues
      • -Browser automation inherently resource-intensive and can be complex to debug at scale
      • -Requires understanding of browser automation concepts and may have learning curve for new users

      Use Cases

        • β€’AI agents that need to interact with dynamic websites, fill forms, or navigate complex user interfaces
        • β€’Web scraping projects requiring session persistence, proxy rotation, and anti-detection measures
        • β€’Automated testing scenarios where browser state management and debugging capabilities are essential
        View Stagehand DetailsView Steel Details

        FAQ

        Which is more popular, Stagehand or Steel?
        Stagehand has more GitHub stars (25,522 vs 7,729).
        Which is more actively developed, Stagehand or Steel?
        Stagehand had more commits in the last 90 days (189 vs 10).
        Should I use Stagehand or Steel?
        Compare their capabilities, limitations and "best for" notes above. Both are open source, so trying each on a small task is the fastest way to decide.